An Asian-Style Garlic Tofu recipe with flavorful marinade and great served with rice! Easy to prepare and filled with delicious, savory flavor. (Vegan, gluten-free option.)
This Asian-inspired garlic tofu is so simple, yet filled with flavor.
The tofu marinates in a sticky sweet sauce made with hoisin, garlic, and tamari.
If you are not familiar with hoisin sauce, it is like a thick, flavorful Asian-style BBQ sauce.
The first time I used it was for this Vegetable Lo Mein and knew I had to start working it into more dishes. The flavor and texture is perfect for an easy marinade like this one.
Ingredients for Asian Garlic Tofu
For this recipe you will need:
- Extra-firm tofu: Tofu is made from soybean curds and it's rich in protein, calcium, potassium, and iron. I try to purchase organic tofu when possible.
- Green onion (scallion)
- Toasted sesame oil
- Hoisin sauce: This is a thick, richly flavorful sauce that is sweet and salty. The main ingredient is usually fermented soybean paste along with other flavors and spices. Most of the time I use "San-J" brand gluten-free hoisin sauce.
- Tamari: Or substitute soy sauce, but I use tamari for gluten-free.
- Garlic cloves: Freshly grated ginger is also a great addition for more warmth and flavor.
- Sesame seeds: Sprinkle these on your bowl before serving if desired.
How to Make
Drain: First, remove excess liquid from your block of tofu. (Either lightly press it between towels, or use a tofu press if you have one.)
Make sauce: Then prepare the simple garlic sauce in a shallow pan or bowl.
Cut and toss: Next, cube your tofu into bite-sized pieces, and toss it in the garlic sauce.
Marinate: Then let it chill in the fridge for 30+ minutes. The flavors will absorb into the tofu and intensify. (No problem if you don't have time to marinate, however. The flavors won't be quite as bold, but it will still taste great.)
Cook: Finally, you will heat your tofu cubes on a skillet until golden brown and lightly seared.
Customizing
Modify this dish as you see fit. A couple ideas include:
Sauce flavors: Freshly grated ginger is also a tasty addition to the sauce. Or you can stir in rice vinegar or pure maple syrup for a touch of added sweetness.
Make it spicy: Add red chili pepper flakes or sriracha hot sauce to taste before serving.
Serving
We enjoy pairing it with brown rice and broccoli for an easy dinner.
It's also great with stir-fries, fried rice, or other Asian-inspired meals.
For more inspiration, browse all Asian-inspired recipes.
Asian-Style Garlic Tofu
Ingredients
- 14 oz. extra-firm tofu
- 4 green onions
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- Optional for serving: cooked brown rice, quinoa, noodles, sesame seeds for topping
For the garlic sauce:
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (see notes for gluten-free)
- 2 Tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- Optional: freshly grated ginger
Instructions
- Remove excess moisture from the tofu by gently pressing it between towels. Then cut it into bite-sized cubes. (I cut mine about 3/4-inch.) Set aside.
- Make the sauce: Mince garlic. Then in a shallow pan (I use an 8"x8" glass baking dish) add the three ingredients for the garlic sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add tofu cubes to the sauce and gently toss until thoroughly coated. (*Optional: if you have time, cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 30 minutes or a few hours.)
- When ready, cook the tofu: In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat.
- Once oil is hot, carefully add the marinated tofu (with any remaining sauce). Spread out the cubes in a single layer. Simmer and cook without stirring for 5-7 minutes or until lightly seared on one side. Flip, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice green onions and add to the pan during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. (Sometimes I add a little more hoisin or tamari if the pan becomes dry. The sauce should almost completely absorb into the tofu however.)
- Great served warm over brown rice (and garnished with sesame seeds or more green onions if desired).
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
If you are enjoying this garlic tofu with Asian-style marinade and rice, also check out:
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Elaine
Easy and yummy! It's a keeper.
Kaitlin
Great to hear - thank you!
Amy
This was great. Added red pepper flakes for some zing!
Kaitlin
Wonderful addition!
Grace McCormick
Do you freeze your tofu first? Or CAN you freeze and thaw it first for this recipe? I always freeze and thaw my tofu before cooking because it slightly changes the texture and doesn't fall apart as easily. Your thoughts??
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Grace! I've never tried freezing tofu before - but would be curious to try it out. Thanks for the tip! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Fayth Goddard
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! I added broccoli and carrots which I stir fried in the sauce on the side. My meat-eating fiancée loved it too! Thanks for a great recipe.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That sounds fantastic! Love your additions!
Rachna
Hi there, I made this for lunch today and it turned out amazing! I did not expect tofu to have as much flavor as it did. I marinated it overnight and served it with a simple fried rice. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That's great! Love the fried rice pairing!
Janzelle Willars
Kaitlin, I'm so happy I found your site. I'm trying to change over to a plant-based diet (pretty much there), and you have some great recipes. I'm going to try this one for Asian Garlic Tofu. I don't have any hoisin sauce, but I have a jar of Lee Kum Kee Char Siu Sauce which it says in parentheses that it is Chinese barbecue sauce. Do you think that would work in place of the hoisin sauce?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Janzelle! Thrilled to hear about your transition to plant-based - that's great! I've never had that particular sauce before, but it sounds like it could be similar. Would love to hear how it turns out.
Bridget
Unfortunately this was just too sweet for me. This was my first time using hoisin sauce, so, perhaps, lesson learned. Actually, if you remove the hoisin sauce (and add eggs and veggies), this is pretty much my usual fried rice recipe, so I think I'll stick with that. Nevertheless, thanks for sharing.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Bridget! Bummer it was too sweet for you, but thanks for your input!
Aura Lemoine
Amazingly delicious! This was my first time cooking with tofu, and I'm so grateful I did it with this recipe. My husband loved it... actually, my whole family loved it. I found a recipe for a homemade hoisin sauce and it was so good! This is a keeper. Thank you, Kaitlin, for sharing this recipe.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Nona Suomy
So good. I added some finely chopped jalapeños to the mixture and used 1 tbsp of tamari and 1/2 tsp of Liquid Amino Acids and oh man. Definitely making this again!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That's so great! Thanks for sharing your helpful feedback!
Marijke Pieters-Kwiers
I tried this recipe, but I used rice noodles instead of rice and it was AMAZING! Oh but next time I might cut the tofu a little smaller than the recipe says, 1 inch is a bit big for me, but otherwise it was so good!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great idea! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Rebekah
Do the sauce ingredients need to be heated before marinating? Your instructions say to use a shallow pan and stir, but I can't tell if that's over a burner or just to mix the ingredients together cold... Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
No heating necessary - I just mix it cold.
Dan Umbenhaur
I just made this for lunch. I doubled the recipe and let the tofu sit in the marinade for about 2 hours. Because of this, there was no extra sauce; only my wife wanted it to be more saucy. VERY easy to make and super delicious. Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks for sharing!
SKCranePhotography
This is one of my all time favorite tofu recipes!! So good!!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great to hear!
Tara
Hi! Would this last in the fridge for 5 days? Thanks.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Our leftovers have only lasted about 1-2 days in the fridge before getting eaten up, so anything past that I'm really not sure. It may last another couple days, but might dry out a little - in which case you could add some extra hoisin when reheating.
Shirly F
Easy and tasty, just made this for my family, it was a hit! Thank you!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful to hear you all enjoyed!